Hang Ups
by kangaleigh
Summary: Abby is getting weird phone calls. The team helps her. A little Gabby.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first NCIS fanfic story; my second fanfic total. I would love to hear your reviews, but please, be gentle!

I never did see "Bloodbath", with Abby's stalker. I hope this isn't like that. I'm also not sure what Abby's apartment looks like either, so I took some liberties with that as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or NCIS.

**Hang Ups**

_Chapter 1_

It was 2 a.m. Abby was sound asleep in her bed after a long day at work. She was having happy dreams of blood splatter patterns and DNA when a shrilling, devil sound woke her.

"Hello?" she said when she answered her phone.

Nothing.

"Hello?"

Still nothing.

Giving up, thinking it might just be a wrong number, she hung up the phone. Within minutes she was fast asleep once again.

2:30 a.m. the sound of the phone wakes her again. Still no one was there. She checked her caller I.D., but the number was blocked. After she hung up, she turned her ringer off, knowing Gibbs would kill her if he tried calling her to a case and she didn't answer.

Abby quickly sat up in bed and looked around for the noise that awoke her. It was her alarm clock. She leaned over and turned it off. Jumping out of bed, she quickly made a pot of coffee while she got ready for work.

It was another long, relentless day in the Lab. Gibbs was on her at least once an hour trying to find if she has any new information for him. The sixth time he came down and she was empty handed, he snapped at her and left. Abby would be lying if she didn't admit it stung a little, but she also knew that was just Gibbs being Gibbs and let it slide.

45 minutes later he returned.

"I don't have anything!" she yelled over her blaring music. Gibbs set a Caf-Pow! down on her table and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. With that, he was gone. _I don't care if he thinks apologies are a sign of weakness, _she thought. _I love it when he apologizes._ She finished her Caf-Pow! in record time with a smile on her face.

At the end of the day, they still had nothing. Abby was beat, but she still stayed a few hours longer to work. She wanted this case to be over with. Everyone did. A Lieutenant Commander and her husband had been brutally murdered in their own home. There were no suspects. Everyone loved them. No jewelry or money had been taken, so it wasn't a robbery. Everyone was stumped.

Around 11 p.m., Abby finally gave up for the day. She cleaned up what she could and headed for the elevators. She knew Gibbs was probably still here, even if the rest of the team wasn't. So she pushed the button for the floor and waited for the doors to open again.

Sure enough, there he was at his desk writing something down. "Goodnight, Gibbs'" she yelled from the elevator door.

Without even looking up, he raised his arm and said, "Night, Abbs."

When she got home all she wanted to do was take a hot bath. So, she started filling the tub with water. _Some hot tea sounds nice, _she thought. She headed to her kitchen and warmed up some water. She realized she hadn't checked her messages yet. _My goodness!_ she thought. _10 messages? I am really popular today!_

When she pressed play, the first message was blank. So was the next one. And the one after that. In fact, they were all blank. No one was on any of them. Abby got a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. When she checked her caller I.D., she found that all the messages had come from the same blocked number that called her in the middle of the night.

Her usual busy mind went blank. She didn't know what to think. She had just finished re-locking all her doors and windows when she remembered she left the tub running. She undressed and climbed in. A hot bath always made everything feel better. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She thought she was doing a half way decent job of it, too.

Then, her phone rang. She had left it in the other room. She heard her answering machine pick-up, but she didn't hear if someone left a message. She closed her eyes but she definitely could not relax anymore.

Drying herself off, and slipping on some pajamas, she went to check the machine. She pushed play. Again, there was nothing. Checking the caller I.D., there was nothing there either. Just the same blocked number.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: still not mine.

_Chapter 2_

It was after midnight when Abby stepped into the elevator at NCIS. She had an uneasy feeling coursing through her veins about these phone calls she kept getting. She decided she was going to figure out who this creep was.

Figuring Gibbs would get upset Abby didn't tell him about these weird phone calls, and knowing he would do anything he could to help, she stepped off the elevator expecting to see him at his desk. Only he wasn't there.

_Probably ran out to get coffee_, she thought. _I'll just leave him a note to come down when he gets back._ She walked over and sat at his desk. After finding a notepad and pen, she started scribbling her note.

"Abby?"

The sudden sound of her own name nearly made her jump out of her own skin. "Goodness, McGee! Don't sneak up on a girl like that!"

"Sorry. What are you doing here? I thought you left hours ago?"

"I did, but," she trailed off. The wheels in her head were starting to turn. "Hey, maybe you can help me!" She jumped out of the chair, grabbed McGee by the hand and pulled him towards the elevators as fast as she could.

"Help you with what? Where are we going, Abby?" McGee had almost fallen over with the sudden thrust forward.

"To my lab. You're going to help me find someone."

In her lab, Abby quickly got her computer running. After explaining to McGee about the weird phone calls, he was eager to help. "Well, he was smart, but not brilliant. He ran the call through multiple routers, but I may still be able to track him. It may just take me a while."

"Have at it, McGee," Abby said with a yawn. Her adrenaline rush was starting to wear off. It was getting time for some good old fashioned caffeine. She was about to ask McGee if he wanted anything when she turned around and came face to face with Gibbs. For the second time in half an hour, she nearly jumped out of her skin. "What is with you guys trying to give me a heart attack today?!?" she said rather breathless with her heart ready to jump out of her chest.

Gibbs held out one of the two coffees he was carrying for Abby. "There was a half written note on my desk, " he said without a trace of exhaustion in his voice, but evident under his eyes.

"You brought me coffee," Abby said sweetly.

"Actually that was McGee's. Speaking of which, what are you doing down here, McGee?"

McGee looked over to Abby wondering what to say. He didn't know if she wanted to tell Gibbs. "It's okay, McGee," she said. "You can tell him."

Gibbs turned towards Abby. "Tell me what?"

"Abby was having some phone problems, boss."

"What type pf phone problems?" Gibbs took a few steps closer to Abby.

Abby finished downing half the coffee. She would have finished all of it, but since McGee was being so helpful and it was his coffee to begin with, she figured he should have some of it. "Someone keeps calling me, but the never say anything. Not even heavy breathing. I mean, what is that about? If you're going to call someone in the middle of the night-."

"He called you in the middle of the night?" Gibbs was sounding ;ess than happy with this news.

Abby walked over to McGee and gave him the rest of the coffee. He thanked her and quickly finished the cup. "The calls started at 2 a.m. yesterday morning. The call lasted only a few seconds before it was disconnected. 2:30 a.m., he called back, same call time." McGee was reading the information off of Abby's phone records. "He called back two more times that morning at 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., but the call times were much shorter."

"I turned my ringer off. Must've hung up after the answering machine picked up."

"And he did that the next nine times he called throughout the day." McGee opened a new window. "Huh. That's weird." McGee typed something new into the computer and refreshed the page. "Abby was the last call you got at 10:47 p.m.?"

She thought back to when she got home. 10:47 p.m. sounded about right. "Yeah I think it was around that time? Why? Did you find something hinky that will help us catch this guy?"

"No, but that was the last call you got."

"Yeah, I know, McGee. I was there."

"No, Abby. I mean that was it. He hasn't tried calling back yet."

"Do you mean this guy can see Abby? That he is watching her so he knows she isn't home?" Gibbs was starting to sound even more concerned. He does not like when a member of his team is threatened. Even in a small way such as blank phone calls.

Before McGee had a chance to answer, something unseen started to beep. He pulled up the screen with the flashing red dot in the near middle of it. "I got it," McGee said and he went back to work. "Sort of," he added a moment later.

"what do you mean, 'sort of'?" Abby asked leaning over McGee. She looked over his shoulder at the screen. "A payphone? He's calling from a payphone?!?"

"That's where the trail ends, Abbs. The payphone on 9th and Wilmington."

"I don't like this, Abby." Gibbs meant it. He did not like the idea of some guy spying on Abby, seeing her and everything she was doing in her own home with no privacy. "Do you plan on going home?"

"Well, yeah, eventually. I'm not going to be run out of my own home, Gibbs. Besides, all my stuff is there. And my hippo."

"What are you going to do for tonight?" McGee got out of the chair and threw the empty coffee cup into the garbage can. "You could say at my place. I'll be here all night most likely anyway."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you to offer, Timothy, but I think I'll just stay here and work. The sooner this case is over, the better we will all feel."

"Let's go, McGee." McGee got up and gave Abby a hug. She never turned down a hug. He headed for the elevators, but Gibbs took a few steps closer still to Abby. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Be careful, Abbs. Call me if you need anything." Then he kissed her cheek. Abby couldn't help but smile. She loved it when Gibbs kissed her. Even if it was only on the cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

"DiNozzo, follow me, " Gibbs bellowed getting up from behind his desk and heading for the elevator. It had been another in the long line of days for Team Gibbs. There was a short lead on their case, but it turned out to be a dead end. Once Tony and Gibbs were in the elevator, Gibbs pushed the button for Abby's lab. Half way down, he hit the emergency stop button.

"You know, boss, one of these days that is going to flake out on you."

Even though they were alone in a private, small space, Gibbs stood mere inches face to face with Tony. "No, plans tonight, DiNozzo."

"Actually," Tony said sounding a little confident, "I do have plans. I'm meeting -."

"It wasn't a question!" Tony flinched at Gibbs sudden change in volume. He wasn't yelling, but they were no longer just talking either.

"Okay. What do you need me to do?" Tony didn't move for fear of setting Gibbs off. He hadn't seen Gibbs with a cup of coffee in the past two hours. Who knew what was going to happen.

"You're staying the night with Abby."

"Abby?"

"Abby."

"Why am I staying the night with Abby?"

"Do you need a reason?" Gibbs started the elevator back down to Abby's lab.

"Well, I don't want to tell this girl I'm blowing her of to stay at another girl's place." The elevator doors opened and the sound of loud music greeted the two agent's ears.

"Then don't," Gibbs told Tony. Abby was standing in front of her computer doing a little dance to her music. Tony smiled because it reminded him of "The Happy Butt Dance", which was something one of his ex-lady friends used to do when she got excited or happy about something. Kind of like a dog wagging its tail. He used to think it was cute. Seeing Abby do it, he knew it was cute. He apparently stared a second, or 5, too long because Gibbs smacked him upside the head when he noticed Tony nearly drooling. Gibbs grabbed Abby's remote and turned off her music. _That's what they're calling music nowadays?_ Gibbs thought. _Maybe I am getting too old._

Abby turned around to see what caused her sudden lost of rhythm. "Oh, hey Gibbs, Tony. What's going on? I don't have any new information yet. I'm starting to run out of ideas. I mean, I've already ran and re-ran every piece of evidence through every test I can think of and every machine in my lab. I just -."

"That's not why were here, Abby," Gibbs interrupted. He knew she would probably go on forever if he let her. Casually switching from one topic to another with ease. "I'm going to have Tony to stay with you tonight as part of your watch detail." Gibbs had been thinking all day about how he was going to keep Abby safe. It had actually gotten a bit in the way of the Macklin case, but since there were three other agents and Abby working on it, he let his mind wander.

"Watch detail? I don't need a watch detail on me. I think I can handle a few creepy phone calls, Gibbs. I really don't need a babysitter. No offense, Tony."

"This isn't up for debate, Abby. Its only phone calls right now, but this could escalate fast and we don't know when. Besides, with DiNozzo with you, McGee and I will stake out the payphone. When you get a call, DiNozzo will call us and we'll bust the guy. Then it will all be over, Abbs." Gibbs was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. She felt really tense at first, but soon relaxed under him. He knew she was putting on a brave front, but he couldn't imagine what she was thinking or feeling either.

"Boss, I'm still not entirely sure what's going on here. What kind of trouble are you in, Abby?"

Gibbs let go of Abby and headed back for the elevator. "You two can talk about that later. Just call when you're ready to go home, Abbs." Gibbs pushed the button and the doors immediately opened. He turned back towards Tony. "You coming?" Tony looked from Gibbs to Abby and back to Gibbs. He jogged for the elevator before the doors closed. He barely made it.

"Yeah, Probie?"

"Were in place."

"Gotcha." Tony hung up his cell phone and set it on Abby's coffee table. He sat down on the couch on the opposite end from Abby. "Gibbs and McGee are parked across from the payphone. Mow, all we have to do is wait."

"That's easier said then done," Abby said and pulled her legs up on the couch so her knees were near her chest and arms wrapped around them. Tony knew Abby was trying to be brave and strong. For the most part, she was pulling it off, too. But just now, sitting like she was, nearly curled into a ball, Tony could see a scared little girl staring at nothing. Just waiting.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked, trying to break the now awkward silence between them. Abby gave him a bored "are you kidding me" stare. "Just asking."

Gibbs and McGee sat in a car in a parking lot across from the payphone that was traced to Abby's mysterious phone calls. Abby had called Gibbs when she and Tony arrived at her place saying she didn't have any messages or missed calls from her creep. She also suggested that maybe it was done and over with and Gibbs could call Tony and the stake out off. Gibbs, however, didn't know what to think. This didn't sit right with him. One thing he knew for sure was this was not over. He did not, though, know where it was heading.

He did feel better that she wasn't there alone. He would have preferred it was himself instead of Tony, though. Gibbs figured he was more useful here with McGee. Abby would have just distracted him. He did like her. He like her even more than he was wanting to admit to himself. But they worked together and that was never good for a relationship. He knew that from experience.

For the first 20 minutes, Gibbs and McGee sat in silence. Gibbs was behind the wheel holding a cup of coffee and staring at the payphone. McGee was in the passenger seat typing away on his laptop's keyboard. Finally, irritated, Gibbs spoke.

"McGee, what _are_ you doing? And if you say playing a game, you're fired."

"No, boss. I'm retracing the calls made to Abby's phone to make sure they were coming from this phone."

"You mean, you didn't know for sure this was the right phone?!?!"

McGee just kept looking at his computer screen. "I knew. Now I'm just double checking the work." 5 minutes passed before McGee announced this was still the payphone the trail ended at.

Gibbs didn't look anymore relaxed. _Where the hell is this guy? _he thought. _He called multiple times yesterday, and now, nothing?_

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw McGee look up from his laptop, to the payphone, and back again. Then he heard McGee mutter, "What the hell?" and start typing away again.

"What's wrong?" Just then, Gibbs phone rang. "What's up, Tony?"

"It's him, boss. On the phone. Now," Tony whispered through the phone.

Gibbs looked at the payphone. _That can't be right?_ "Are you sure its him?"

Tony quietly confirmed with Abby. "Yeah. Blocked number and same nothingness on the other end. Do you got him?"

Gibbs could hear Abby still saying "hello" into her phone. "I'll call you back. Tell Abby to hang up." Gibbs hung up his phone and turned towards McGee. "What the hell, McGee?! You said this was the right phone!"

"I don't know. I don't understand. This is it. This is where it ends."

"There's no one there!" Gibbs was furious and he was taking it out on poor McGee. He knew this most likely wasn't McGee's fault. McGee would do anything for Abby. But right now Gibbs needed someone to be angry with and it was easier to be angry with McGee than an invisible person.

Abby hung up the phone and rushed over to Tony. She grabbed him by the arm as he closed his cell phone. "What did he say? Did they get him?"

"He said he'd call back, but…" Tony trailed off.

"But what?"

"Something sounded wrong."

"What's wrong?" Abby's voice was starting to sound a bit panicky. _Maybe getting them involved was a bad idea. What if I just got them into trouble? Oh, God, what if this caller guy is violent and hurt McGee or Gibbs?_ Abby started pulling Tony towards the door. "Let's go!"

"Where are we going?"

"To help Gibbs and McGee!"

"Abby, no," Tony stopped Abby and pulled her back into the room.

"But -."

"No, 'buts', Abby." Tony pulled her over to the couch. "The only 'but' I want to hear is yours flopping down on that couch."

"My butt does not 'flop', Tony."

"Just sit down." Tony gently pushed her onto the couch. "Gibbs said he would call back, so," Tony sat on the couch, "we will wait." Abby gave him a squinty-eyed, evil glance with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Anything yet, McGee?" Gibbs was getting more frustrated by the second.

"I'm trying, boss." And he was. Gibbs didn't know what McGee was doing or what rules he was breaking, and he really didn't care. Not as long as it got results. Nearing his peak of frustration, Gibbs jumped out of the car and headed for the payphone. "Boss?" McGee opened his door and stood up, still holding his laptop. "Boss, where are you going?" Gibbs just kept on walking.

When he reached the phone, he picked up the receiver and held it to his ear. He heard a normal dial tone. He fiddled with the receiver cradle a few times, but nothing happened. He dialed a number and was greeted by a voice telling him to deposit the correct amount of change if he wanted to make a call.

Gibbs hung up the phone and started walking back towards the car. McGee was half way across the street. "Let's go see Abby."

"Gibbs! McGee! You're okay!" She hugged both of their necks as hey walked through the door. "I was so worried about you." Abby smacked Gibbs' arm. "You said you would call back!"

"I figured we should talk in person." Gibbs put his hand on the small of Abby's back and lead her to the couch. He sat down next to her.

"I take it you didn't get him, boss?" Tony sat on the coffee table across from Abby. McGee stayed standing.

"There wasn't anyone to get, DiNozzo."

"What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"Well,", McGee started, "there wasn't anyone who used the payphone the whole time we were sitting out there. Not even when you called, Tony, to tell us Abby had gotten another hang up."

"I don't get it!" Abby said sounding a bit frustrated. "You said that was the phone!"

"I'm not sure what to say, Abby. I don't get it either. All the back tracking I did came right back to that phone."

The phone started ringing. Everyone looked over at it, except Abby. She just leaned forward and put her head in her hands. No one made a move for the phone. After a few more rings, the answering machine picked up. The message was blank. Gibbs put his arm around Abby's shoulders and pulled her closer. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Everyone sat in silence as the phone rang three more times. Each time the answering machine picked up. Each time the same blocked number left a blank message.

Some hours later, McGee and Gibbs, after advising Abby to turn off her ringer and answering machine, were already gone. Abby was sound asleep in her bed and Tony was slightly snoring on her couch. Once it was just her and Tony again, Abby cried on his shoulder while he held her. She swore if he told anybody, she would say he was crying, too. Tony said that wasn't a problem because girls liked sensitive guys. Abby then added, "And then I'll tell them you asked to sleep with me." That made him promise not to tell.

Tony was exhausted. All that emotional stuff wore him down. As soon as his head hit the pillow Abby gave him, he was out. This maybe why he didn't jump up, ready to shoot whoever was unlocking Abby's door. A dark figure entered the room and quietly shut the door. A shadow drifted across Tony as the figure stood in front of the couch staring at him. Then, the dark figure gently set something on the coffee table and left. Apart from his little gift, it was like he was never there at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"_Tony? Tony? Come on, Tony. Please wake up!" Abby's voice was shaky as she shook Tony awake from his nearly peaceful slumber._

"_Abby? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, but stifled by a yawn._

"_Where did that come from?"_

_Tony sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "What?"_

"_That!" Abby dramatically pointed at the thing sitting on her coffee table._

_It was a huge vase of beautiful, pure white roses. Tony leaned forward on the couch and Abby stopped kneeling on the floor and sat next to him. Both stared at it for several minutes before Tony picked up the note card from the bouquet. The opened the little envelope and read it. "Uh-oh."_

"_Uh-oh what?" Tony handed the card to Abby. It read "I'll be calling you soon." Abby flipped it over, but there was nothing there. "Its from him, Tony! The caller!"_

_Tony who had his head in his hands, looked at the floor. Slowly and slightly he lifted his head to look at the flowers again. "I know, Abby."_

_Abby jumped off the couch with the sudden realization of what this meant. "My God! He was in my house! He was right here! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…." she trailed off._

"_I am so sorry, Abby. I-I don't know how I didn't notice him last. I…..I'm sorry." His voice sounded heartbroken. And with good reason. This crazy stalker had been in there last night. Mere inches from Tony and he didn't notice. __What if this person had hurt Abby? What if he killed her? What would Gibbs have done to me? What __will__ Gibbs do? Oh God! I've got to tell Gibbs!_

Abby didn't know which feeling to react to first. She was confused about the flowers that were left. She was afraid that this guy was in her home. She was even a little angry with Tony for not getting this guy while he was right in front of him. She was also feeling guilty for putting Tony in danger. He could have so easily been killed last night and it would have been all her fault. Then a frightening thought crossed her mind. _Oh, God, I've got to tell Gibbs!_

After walking Abby to her lab and checking it out to make sure everything was good, Tony went up to the squad room. He sat nervously down at his desk. He knew that any minute now, Gibbs would be walking through the elevator doors with a coffee in his hand. Gibbs would want to know if anything happened last night and Tony didn't know what to tell him.

"Good morning, Tony," Ziva said as she walked over to her desk. She took off her coat and set her bag on the floor. "You look like hell."

"Gee, thanks, Ziva."

"What? Another late night?" Ziva walked over and sat on the edge of Tony's desk. "What was her name?" she asked with a curious smile on her face.

"Abby."

Ziva's smile disappeared and was replaced with an expression of confusion. "Abby? Abby Abby? Our Abby?"

It was Tony's turn for a sly smile to appear on his face. He sat up a little straighter in his chair. "Yes, our Abby. I was over there yesterday. And I stayed there all night long." Tony liked picking on Ziva. The look on her face of whether or not to believe him was cute. He would never admit that out loud. He hardly ever admitted it to just himself. Finally deciding that Tony was joking with her, she let out a little laugh and went back to her desk.

Five minutes later, Tony heard something set down next to his head. He had lain it on the desk because he got a headache thinking about Gibbs. He looked towards the noise and saw a coffee cup. Looking up he saw Gibbs standing in front of his desk. He jerked upright in his chair.

"Boss! Didn't hear you walk up." Tony picked up the coffee. "Thank you," he said and took a sip. He would need this today. Gibbs stood in front of Tony, starting at him. Tony knew he should say something, but couldn't force the words out of his mouth. "Well, DiNozzo?" But Tony just stared. It looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind. Gibbs saw something in Tony's eyes that he didn't see very often. It was fear. He of what, he wasn't sure, but he would find out. "Did something happen at Abby's?"

Tony saw Ziva's head shoot up from her desk. If he wasn't scared of Gibbs killing him, he would have laughed. Instead, all he did was nod his head. Gibbs set one of the coffees in the cardboard carrier on his own desk, then one on McGee's. Gibbs motioned for Tony to follow him. Leaving his coffee o the desk, Tony stepped into the elevator with Gibbs.

Tony was not looking forward to this conversation. He could already feel the foot up his ass while being kicked out the door with a pink slip in his hand. That is of course, if Gibbs doesn't kill him first.

Once the doors were shut, Gibbs hit the emergency stop button. He turned towards Tony. "What happened?"

"I don't know, boss. Everything was alright after you left. We went to bed -."

"We?"

"She went to bed; I slept on the couch. When I woke up, there was a bouquet of white roses on the table and a note with them."

"What did the note say?" Gibbs was far from happy, He was too worried about Abby to think about anything else right now.

" 'I'll be calling you soon'." Tony clenched and unclenched his jaw as he waited to Gibbs' fist to come in contact with it. He could see fury boiling in Gibbs' eyes. Something changed though. It was slight, but sudden.

"Where's Abby?" His voice was deep and rough.

"In her lab. I took her down there this morning and looked around. Everything appeared to be fine." Gibbs hit the button for Abby's lab. "What's up, boss?" When the doors opened, Abby wasn't in sight. They walked through her lab and office, but she wasn't there. "She's got to be around here somewhere. She's got a Caf-Pow! sitting on her desk."

"I put that there this morning when I came down. She wasn't here then. I didn't think anything of it because I didn't think you were here yet." Gibbs and Tony stood in silence trying to figure out what to do next. "Where's the note?"

Tony nodded towards the office. "With the flowers on her desk."

"There weren't any flowers on her desk." Gibbs walked into the office. Nothing. He walked back out and right up to Tony's face. "We will resume this conversation later," he said genuinely pissed off. Tony sat in the chair in front of Abby's computer. He figured he should probably wait here for her. Then he could stay out of Gibbs' way.

Gibbs was facing the elevator doors, waiting for them to open. He was getting more pissed at Tony and worried about Abby as the seconds ticked away. He wasn't sure about what to do next. This guy appeared to be technologically savvy, and that was not one of Gibbs' strong points. How else would this guy make it appear as though he was calling from a payphone when he so clearly wasn't. He needed to talk to McGee again about what to do next. Finally, the doors opened.

"There you are!" said Abby stepping out of the elevator with a huge vase of white roses in her hands. "I was looking all over for you, Gibbs." She walked past him and headed for her office. "Hi, Tony!" she said walking through her lab with Gibbs behind her.

"Tony jumped out of his chair to his feet. "Hey, Abby." He followed Gibbs to her office.

"Where have you been?" Gibbs asked in a fatherly tone?

"well, 'Papa'," she started, "after Tony and I got in this morning and he checked things out and went upstairs, I took the flowers and went to visit Ducky. After we talked for a few minutes, I went to find you. Only you weren't at your desk. Ziva said you took Tony to have a talk. Then she asked about the flowers, McGee showed up, and I told her about last night. Then I came down here and here you are!" Abby took a deep breath. That had taken a lot out of her. But she was an experienced rambler so it didn't take long for her to recover.

"So are those the flowers he left you?" Abby nodded her head and stepped out of the way so Gibbs could inspect them. He looked them over like they were a piece of evidence. In a way, they actually were. A piece of evidence that would help Gibbs find this guy. He took the note off its little plastic holder and examined that, too. There was no indication of where the flowers had come from. He handed the card back to Abby. "See if you can find some prints anywhere." He turned and faced Tony again. "Go back up to the squad room and get to work on the double murder case!"

"Yes, boss!" Tony quickly left the office and the lab. Gibbs turned back at Abby who had a concerned look on her cute little face.

"Are you mad?" she asked Gibbs.

"Furious." Abby's face fell as she picked up her flowers. She was going back into the lab to look for fingerprints. Gibbs stopped her by quickly grabbing the flowers from her hands and setting them back on the desk. He put his hands on top of her shoulders and slid them down her arms, just above her elbows. "just say he word and I will fire him right now, Abbs."

"No, Gibbs! Tony didn't do anything wrong!"

Gibbs took a tighter hold on Abby. "He let the guy walk right in front of him! Through your home, Abby. He could have killed him. He could have killed you!"

Abby closed her eyes to try to hold back her tears of guilt. She had gotten Tony involved in this. If he had died, she wouldn't have forgiven herself. Ever! "I know," she said quietly with her eyes still closed. She lowered her head. "And I feel terrible about it."

Gibbs pulled her into a hug. "You have nothing to feel terrible about."

Abby put her arms around Gibbs. "But I got him involved."

"No, I got him involved."

"But if I hadn't told you -."

"You didn't tell me. McGee did."

"And if I hadn't told him -."

"You have to stop blaming yourself," Gibbs interrupted. "Its not going to do you any good. It puts added stress on yourself. Besides, none of this is your fault." They separated. Gibbs saw tears on Abby's cheek and grabbed a tissue off her desk.

'We don't know that," she said as she took the tissue from Gibbs. She started drying her cheeks. "We don't know who this guy is. Maybe I did something. Maybe I met him somewhere and mistakenly lead him on."

"I doubt that, Abby."

"But I'm a naturally flirty person, Gibbs. You know how much I love to hug. Maybe he took a hug the wrong way." Abby was starting to sound a little panicky. If Gibbs didn't calm her down now, she might have an attack.

Gibbs put his right hand on her shoulder. "Stop. Just take a breath and stop." He waited for her to take a couple of deep breaths. "Okay, good. I'm going to go back upstairs and have a conversation with McGee on what to do next. I'll come back down later and we'll go to lunch and talk then. In the meantime, look for those fingerprints. Can you stay calm?" Abby nodded yes again. Gibbs stepped forward and kissed Abby's left cheek gently. "Call me if you need me."

Gibbs went for the elevator and stepped inside. As the doors began to close, Abby stopped them. "Can you do something for me, Gibbs?"

"What's that, Abbs?"

"Can you go easy on Tony?"

Gibbs laughed. "Hell no."

Gibbs marched right up to Tony and grabbed him by his shirt. He yanked him right out of his chair. Tony had been expecting something like this so he was only slightly taken aback when forced from his desk. Gibbs kicked the door of an interrogation room open, drawing quiet a bit of attention. Tony was thrown into the room as Gibbs slammed the door. Tony stood next to the table. Gibbs stood by the door. For a while, neither spoke, just stared. Tony found this more frightening because he could only imagine what was going to happen. Finally, Gibbs spoke.

"You're an idiot."

Tony leaned against the edge of the table. "I know."

"What the hell, Tony? You were there to watch Abby. To protect her. Not to be a welcome mat for this creep!"

Tony lowered his head. "Yes, boss."

Gibbs walked up to Tony and pushed him, causing him to nearly fall backwards over the table. "Look at me while I'm talking to you!" he yelled. It was then that Gibbs saw that same look of fear in Tony that he saw earlier. Now he knew what Tony was afraid of.

"Yes, boss," Tony said again. Tony was scared. He tried to hide it, but he knew that Gibbs knew. Tony figured he deserved whatever Gibbs dealt him.

"You could be dead, Tony!" Gibbs was right in Tony's face.

"I know."

"Abby could be dead!"

"I know!" screamed Tony and pushed Gibbs back. Tony had no idea what happened. Something in him just snapped. Gibbs was saying everything Tony had been thinking since they found the flowers this morning.

Pushing Gibbs was a huge mistake. Tony knew the second before it happened, but it was too late. Gibbs lunged at Tony and fist started flying. Both were tangled in each other punching whatever they could reach. Someone finally came in the room yelling and started pulling Gibbs off of Tony. Gibbs kept struggling, but the instant Tony was free, he started yelling again.

"You don't think I don't know that? That I haven't been thinking about it all morning? Every time I blink, I see her lying there, lifeless. And I know its all my fault." Tony's voice involuntarily trembled slightly with his last few words. Gibbs shook Ziva and McGee off. They were the ones who had pulled Gibbs off of Tony. "I'm sorry, Gibbs." It was something Tony rarely said to him, knowing how Gibbs felt about apologies.

But this time, Gibbs didn't correct him. Instead, Gibbs ran the back of his hand across the corner of his mouth. Tony had landed a couple of good punches, including one right hook straight to Gibbs' jaw. Gibbs didn't do too bad either. "I know," he said in response to Tony's apology and walked out of the room.

Tony gazed at himself in the men's bathroom mirror. He had a cut under his eye which he was positive would be black and blue tomorrow. His ribs on his left side were also killing him. He though one or two of them maybe cracked. If so, they could be sore for a few weeks.

The door to the bathroom opened and Ziva walked in. She didn't have her usual sarcastic smile on her face. Instead it was concern. Concern about him. Never would she have thought Tony would start a fight with Gibbs. And she knew he had started it when he pushed Gibbs. She and McGee had snuck into the observation room and watched the whole thing. Until the fight started, that is. Then they ran in there to break it up. She didn't know about McGee, but she was sure Gibbs would have killed Tony at the time. It took both her and McGee to pull Gibbs off of Tony.

She looked Tony over. His eye was already getting puffy. She saw him wincing and limping as he walked out of the interrogation room. She guessed he would look and feel horrible for at least a few days. She pulled out a couple of paper towels and wet them with warm water. After ringing out the excess water, she dabbed it on Tony's cut to wipe away the dried blood. He winced.

"What? Did I hurt you?" she asked sounding actually concerned.

"No," said Tony. "Just afraid you're going to."

"I'm not going to hurt you. You look like you're in enough pain without getting beat up by a girl as well." She finished cleaning him up. "Where else did you get hurt?"

"I think Gibbs may have cracked a few of my ribs." He lifted his shirt up a bit, but there was no bruising yet. Just some fist-sized red marks.

"Come on. Let's go get some x-rays done." She grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the door.

"I don't need x-rays, Ziva."

"Tony, if you don't come with me, I _will_ hurt you."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Want to test that theory?" By now she had him in the squad room. Gibbs wasn't at his desk, but McGee was. "I'm taking Tony to the hospital to get some x-rays. We will be back soon." McGee nodded and Tony and Ziva left.

"Fighting with team members in the office?! What were you thinking, Jethro?" Gibbs was in the Director's office. As soon as she heard about the fight, which only took about 1 seconds for scuttlebutt to reach her, she ordered Gibbs into her office. "What is all this about, anyway?"

"Just a personal matter. Its over now."

"It better be. I can't have you or anyone else starting fights in the hallway. We have enough problems around here as it is." She took a seat behind her desk as Gibbs continued to stand. "Are you and Agent DiNozzo going to have a problem from now on?"

"Nope."

Jen was starting to get aggravated with Gibbs' short, non-descriptive answers. "Damn it, Jethro! What is gong on?!"

"Nothing, 'Director'."

"Fine. Don't tell me," she said finally getting fed up with his attitude. "Get out of here and go clean yourself up. You've got blood on your shirt." With that, Gibbs left.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

McGee stepped out of a phone company truck wearing the standard uniform. They weren't exactly obtained legally, but as long as everything was returned within the hour, it shouldn't be a problem. Gibbs told him before lunch, "whatever it takes", and that was what he was going to do.

"Can you read me still, Ziva?" Ziva was sitting in the back of the van with a laptop. She was reading the feed from the mini camera and microphone hooked to McGee's uniform. Everything was being recorded for later review in case anything was missed.

"I got you, McGee. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah." McGee walked up to the mysterious payphone. He needed to get inside and inspect it. He was far less likely to draw unnecessary attention to himself this way.

He unlocked the cover and swung it open. Inside was a bunch of wires linking the phone to the small switch board. There was also a change collector. McGee looked inside but only saw a couple of dollars in quarters and dimes. He sifted through the change while wondering how often the money was collected. With nearly everyone carrying a cell phone, or at least knowing someone who does, he wondered who would even use a payphone. 

McGee detached and reattached the wires inspecting them for anything unusual. Not finding anything behind the plate, he turned his attention to the phone itself. He screwed off the earpiece but there was nothing there. Same with the mouth piece. McGee put the phone back on the cradle. _What am I missing?_

"McGee, what's that?" Ziva chimed through the speaker in his ear.

"What? I don't see anything."

"There on the side of the phone." McGee picked the phone back up and looked at its side. "The other side, McGee." He flipped it over.

"its just a scratch." He looked at it more closely. "Or maybe not." He pulled a flat head screwdriver out of his pocket. He pried the plastic of the phone cover apart. There were another few wires hidden inside. Right in the middle of the green wire was a tiny, round computer chip. "You see this?"

"Yes, I see it. What is it?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure. Let me try something." McGee deposited the correct amount of change and dialed Ziva's number. What does he number on your caller I.D. say, Ziva?"

She picked up her cell when it rang. "Its blocked. Can't tell."

McGee hung up the phone and removed the chip. He deposited more change and called Ziva again. "What's it say now?"

"555-0199."

McGee checked the number for the phone printed on a sticker above the cradle. "555-0199," he repeated. He carefully placed the chip in an evidence bag. After reassembling the phone, he headed back to the van.

"It's called a diverter chip. It reroutes calls from one phone line to another." McGee was standing next to Abby in her lab. He went straight to her after returning the phone company van and uniform.

"Of course, McGee! I feel like such an idiot! I should have thought of that." Abby started typing away at her keyboard. "Now we can see if we can back track to who bought one recently. Or, at least, who came into contact with one."

"Its understandable. I mean its not like they are very popular or easy to find. Only one or two companies around here even have them. But the good news is that should make it easier to find out who got it. Besides, it didn't cross my mind either until I found it."

"Found what?" Gibbs had just walked off the elevator. McGee and Abby turned to look at him.

"Oh my goodness, Gibbs! What happened to your face?" Abby was stunned to see Gibbs with a fat lip and a bruise starting to form on his cheek. Gibbs had to catch up on paperwork with his current case. As a result he wasn't able to go to lunch with Abby and she hadn't heard about what happened. Our of curiosity, Abby reached up to touch his face. Gibbs grabbed her wrist before she could.

"Its still a bit tender," he said. "Find any fingerprints from those flowers?" Abby shook her head, mesmerized by his hurting face. "You got something else for me, Abbs?"

"Not me, but McGee does." She just couldn't take her eyes off his swollen lip. She was tempted to ask if he wanted her to kiss it to make it feel better. She decided against it.

McGee filled Gibbs in on what he and Ziva found at the payphone. Abby looked up the companies in the area that would have to chip. There were two of them. Gibbs went back up to the squad room while McGee and Abby tried to find which company the chip in their possession was from.

After 45 minutes of talking on the phone with a number of different people from Batali International, Abby finally found out none of their chips were missing, sold, or discarded within the last 6 months. Another 10 minutes later, McGee who was on the phone with Cora Corporation, was told that one of their chips were missing and had been for a few weeks. Yet another 10 minutes later and McGee had someone agreeing to fax a list of everyone who might have had contact with the chip. All he had to do was agree to go on a date with her.

"You two figure out which company that chip came from yet?" Tony asked as he hobbled from the elevator. Even with his pain killers, his ribs were hurting him more with each step.

"The Cora Corporation had a chip go missing. They are supposed to be faxing a list of employees soon," Abby said as she wrote something down. She didn't even look up from the table.

"Well, Gibbs just wanted me to ask about -."

"Wow," said McGee looking at Tony for the first time since he walked in. 

"Problem, Probie?"

Abby finally looked up at Tony. "What the hell happened to your eye?!" she asked in a stunned voice. "Did you and Gibbs get into it with someone today?" Tony's eye was very swollen. If it kept going at this rate, he wouldn't be able to see out of it tomorrow. 

"More like each other," chimed McGee.

"What do you mean?"

McGee hadn't told Abby about the fight between Gibbs and Tony. Even though it wasn't her fault., he knew she would blame herself. She had too many things on her plate to worry about as it was. There as no hiding it from her know though. McGee explained what happened. 

"I'm so sorry, Tony. I asked him to take it easy on you."

"In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have pushed him."

"You pushed him?!?! Then you deserve that black eye!"

"He cracked two of my ribs, Abby!"

"He did?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he gently lifted his shirt. There was a huge white bandage wrapped around him a couple of times to help limit his movements. "Ziva brought me back from the hospital a bit ago. No physical activity for a month. That's really going to cut into my social life." He put his shirt back down. "Call Gibbs when you find something more out." Tony hobbled back to the elevator and disappeared.

After work that evening, Gibbs took Abby to her place long enough to pack a few things. Then he drove her to his place. He decided he was the best one to watch over her. Abby went up to the guest bedroom and set up camp. However, when she was finished, she didn't come back downstairs. Gibbs went to make sure she was okay.

"Come in," Abby said when Gibbs knocked on her door. When he walked in, he found her sitting on the bed with her legs curled up and holding her hippo. It almost looked as if she had been crying.

"Everything alright, Abbs?" He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"No. I mean, yeah. I mean….ugh. I don't know." She mumbled the last three words into the hippo.

"What are you worried about? I won't let anything happen to you. And you know McGee will work tirelessly on this. Everything will be okay in the end."

"You can promise that, Gibbs?" she asked skeptically.

Gibbs moved to the middle of the bed to sit next to her. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. "Yes," he said, then kissed the top o her head. "Yes I can."

Abby turned her head to look over at Gibbs. She caught sight of his broken lip again. Without thinking this time, she leaned in a kissed the very corner of his mouth. She held it for a few seconds before pulling away. Gibbs leaned in after her and kissed her fully on the lips. This one also lasted a few seconds before Gibbs pulled away. He turned his head so he wouldn't be looking at her. He got off the bed and headed for the hallway. "Come on," he said, still not looking at her. "Let's get something to eat."

**A/N: I made up that thing about the diverter chip. I doubt there is such a thing. But what do I know?**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_McGee was once again parked across the street from the payphone. Only this time, Ziva was with him. Gibbs had given Tony the night off. Tony thought it was because Gibbs didn't fully trust him. That hurt him more than the black eye and two broken ribs. McGee was also once again pecking away on his laptop._

"_I got it," he said to Ziva and turned the laptop so they both could see the screen. McGee was able to hack into the video surveillance of the ATM kiddy-corner from the payphone. It was barley visible on the edge of the screen. They started watching footage on the night the calls started. When nothing was found there, they moved backwards one day. Then another day. Then, just one more day. On this day, McGee noticed something hinky._

"_You see that?" he asked, pointing out the van to Ziva. McGee took the laptop back and began typing to enhance the plate._

"_It's a phone company van," she said._

"_Right. They said no one had been out to this payphone in over a month." McGee continued to try to get a good look at the plate, but he couldn't. "Its sitting at the wrong angle."_

"_What now then?"_

"_Now I follow the van. This may take a bit though."_

_Gibbs didn't know why he did it. It was a spur of the moment thing that happened. Okay, maybe not so sudden. He had thought about it before; what it would be like to feel those soft lips against his own. He kept telling himself, thought, that not only was he too old for her, but he was also her boss. It was just simply not allowed. That didn't stop his mind from wandering though. He would wonder what her lips tasted like. In his mind, it was usually Caf-Pow! While he found the stuff disgusting on its own, he would have bet everything it was great coming from her lips._

_But that wasn't the taste he got tonight. It was much better than that. It seemed that she had put a clear cherry lip gloss, maybe even chapstick, on top of her lipstick. It was the most wonderful thing he ever tasted. Even now, sitting across the table from her as they ate they once frozen pizza, he wanted to experience it again._

_He messed up in the room with her earlier. He had pulled away too quickly. Then, he acted like it didn't even happen. Or that, perhaps, he thought it was a mistake. He had wished it didn't happen, but did that make it a mistake? She di kiss him first. Barely. Where he was hurt, too. __Hell, Abby was probably just acting motherly; kissing it to make it feel better. Well, she did._ He had almost forgotten about the busted lip.

Gibbs was hating himself. Not for what he did, but how he handled it. He could only guess he had hurt her feelings since she had said a word to him yet. He just hoped their relationship, whatever it was, wasn't wrecked. But if it was, how would he be able to fix it?

"Got it," said McGee.

"Got what?"

"The plate on the van." He turned the laptop so she could see. "BGZ 3207."

"How did you get this, McGee?" Ziva wrote down the plate number in her notebook.

"I logged in to the Department of Transportation's video log and tracked the vn by light cameras."

"Light cameras?"

"Camera at traffic light intersections used to catch an accident or someone running a red light."

"Ah. Seems like an invasion of privacy, but I'm not complaining at the moment. So, all we have to do now is pray there is someone at the phone company, after hours, mind you, who can tell us who had this truck."

"Stranger things have happened, Ziva."

"None that I can think of at the moment."

McGee chuckled. "Me either."

Abby was mentally kicking herself over and over again. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why did I kiss him? Why did he kiss me? Why did he suddenly pull away? Why didn't I stop him? Oh God, I'm stupid. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

The thoughts were going through her mind a thousand miles per minute. She had thought of kissing Gibbs before. Usually when it was just the two of them in her lab. Right before he would kiss her cheek, she would think about turning her head so he caught her lips instead. The daydreams usually got more vivid and hot from there. She was always afraid he would notice the sudden flush or sweat beads on her forehead.

She hadn't said anything to Gibbs since it happened. She wasn't sure what she should say. It didn't help that he hadn't said much either. Besides "lets get something to eat" and "dinners ready" he hadn't said anything. She suspected he regretted the kiss. That hurt her more than anything.

When she finished eating, she couldn't stand just sitting there in the silence. She got up from the table and said, "I'm going to bed." She started walking away.

"Abby," Gibbs said standing up from his chair.

Abby turned back. It looked like he was going to say something, but nothing came out. "Goodnight, Gibbs," she said and went upstairs.

"Phone company says that truck went missing that afternoon. Technician was on a call at the Commonwealth Building. When he went back out to the van, it was gone." McGee was surprised how easy it was to get a hold of someone at the phone company so late. He was also surprised how easily he got the information on the van.

"So the van is still missing?" asked Ziva.

"No, actually. That was the weird thing. The van was found in their parking lot two hours later."

"So he 'borrowed' it and brought it back?" Ziva was sounding confused.

"Appears that way. Let's head to the Commonwealth Building. Maybe they have security cameras in their parking lot."

As usual, Gibbs was downstairs in his basement. He wanted to clear his head a bit so he started working on his boat. He was focused on covering the bare skeleton of the boat when he heard a floor board above him creek. He froze, listening intently. He didn't hear another sound. _Maybe its just Abby. I shouldn't have left her two floors up alone. Hell, I shouldn't have left her alone at all._

"Abby?" he cried from the foot of the stairs. "Abby?" he cried again. Still no answer or sound of movement. He pulled the gun clipped to his waist and quickly climbed the steps. He checked the first floor, but he found nothing unusual. He called for Abby again, but she didn't answer.

As he climbed to the second floor, he saw Abby's door was closed. There was light coming from underneath her door. He checked the rest of the top floor before the room she was in. It was all clear.

He knocked on Abby's door, but she didn't respond. "Abby?" He hoped she wasn't angry with him. "Abby!" he shouted. "Open the door!" When she still didn't answer, he readied his gun and swung the door open.

Abby could swear she felt herself jump an inch off the bed. Gibbs had really startled her. "Jesus, Gibbs!" she said taking her headphones off. Then she saw he had his gun out. "What's going on?" She was sounding nervous.

"Were you just downstairs?" He looked around the room and checked the closet. He even looked under the bed. It was all clear.

"Yeah. I went down a minute ago to get a bottle of water." She picked it up from the night stand. "Why are you asking?"

"I heard the floor boards creek when I was in the basement. I called for you, but you didn't answer." Gibbs was actually afraid that something had happened to her. He was being lax about watching over her. He knew she was a strong girl. And even with this being his house, he shouldn't assume she was safe. The guy broke into her place last night. Maybe he would be stupid enough to follow her here.

"Sorry, I was listening to my MP3 Player. Probably a bit too loudly. I'll turn it off." Abby shut it down and set it on the table next to her water.

"MP3 Player?" Gibbs put his gun back in his waist band holster.

"it's a music player."

"Ah." Gibbs stood in her doorway. He wasn't sure what to do next. Should he stay and talk? Should he go back to the basement? _No. Not that far away again._ "I'm going to bed. Yell or get me if you need anything, okay?" She nodded. "Night."

"Damn it! I can't see his face." McGee and Ziva were inside the Commonwealth Building looking over surveillance tapes. They had found most of what they were looking for. All Ziva had to do was show her much hidden charm to the security guard and they were in. The suspect stealing the van had a ball cap on which made it impossible to see his face.

Ziva and McGee then headed across the street to the party store to see their security tapes. To both Agents' surprised, the cameras were working and they still had the tapes. McGee could now see which car our mysterious guy popped out of before heading for the van. They could still not see the plate though.

The main cameras at the bank next to the parking lot were turned off for the night. McGee did think, though, that the camera from the ATM was at a good enough angle to read the plate. Within a few minutes, McGee had the plate number and was currently searching DMV records for a name and address.

Gibbs was lying on his back in bed, staring up at his ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He had too much on his mind. Right now he was thinking about what McGee and Ziva were up to. He thought about calling them, but decided against it. He was afraid of yelling at them and disturbing Abby. McGee would call when he got something worth calling over.

A shadow drifted across Gibbs' room. Somebody was standing in the doorway. In one quick movement, Gibbs grabbed his gun from the nightstand, sat up, and pointed it towards the doorway. As his eyes adjusted, he was able to see it was Abby, holding her hippo.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"I couldn't sleep."

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah. Me neither." Realizing he was still pointing the gun at the person he was supposed to be protecting, he set it back on the night stand. He flung the covers on the other side of the bed open. "Come on."

Abby sat next to him on the bed and covered her lap with the blankets. She looked at him when she asked, "Are you sure you don't mind me being in here?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I did."

"Yes, Gibbs, you would have. That's just the nice guy part of you that no one seems to see but me."

She was right and he knew it. He always did have a soft spot for her. He didn't do a very good job of hiding it either. He wasn't sure what exactly it was about her that captivated him. Was there such a thing as a mature, child-like personality?

"Abbs, I'm going to say something to you I hardly ever say. To anyone!"

Abby positioned herself so she was fully facing Gibbs. She wondered what he could possibly say. She didn't expect his next words.

"I'm sorry."

Abby let out a dramatic gasp and covered her mouth. Gibbs stayed strong and kept his gaze on her. She lowered her hand. "What could you possibly be sorry about?"

Gibbs moved so that he was now facing Abby as well. "About earlier."

Abby looked down at her lap. "Don't worry about it," she mumbled. She was tired of thinking about it. But it was one of the reasons she couldn't sleep.

Gibbs lifted Abby's chin so that she was looking at him. It looked like she had tears forming in her eyes, but in the dark he couldn't be sure. He ran his thumb across her cheek and felt a wet streak. "Oh, Abby -".

"I just didn't think it was anything to apologize for!" She was getting a little frustrated with herself and it showed in her tone of voice.

Gibbs lunged forward and embraced her as soon as the words had left her mouth. She was crying uncontrollably, shaking in his arms. He held her tighter, hating himself. He never meant to hurt her. He felt his eyes start to sting. He very rarely cried. But with Abby sobbing brokenheartedly on his shoulder, and knowing it was because of him, he found it hard to force back the tears.

He couldn't ling to Abby any tighter without hurting her. He had to be closer to her. Gibbs pulled her into his lap. Abby wrapped her arms around Gibbs' neck. Her crying started to subside and her breathing even out. Gibbs ran one hand up and down Abby's back while the other held the back of her head. He so badly wanted to kiss her and make everything better, but that was how it got like this in the first place.

They both sat in silence for a while. When Gibbs finally spoke, it was quietly. "I thought you hadn't wanted me to kiss you."

Abby pulled her head back to get a better look at Gibbs. "So you lied to me?" There was a tone of disbelief in her voice. _How could Gibbs lie to me?_

There was a quick flash of surprise over Gibbs' face. "No!" _How could she even think that?_

"So when you said you were sorry…?"

"I didn't mean about the kiss. I was referring to how I acted afterwards."

Abby ran her hands over her eyes and cheeks to try to dry them. Gibbs' shirt had absorb most of her tears. "God, Gibbs. I acted so stupid tonight. I should be apologizing to you."

Gibbs placed his hand on her knee. "You have nothing to be sorry about." Abby tried to hide a big yawn, but Gibbs, being a trained investigator and not completely blind, saw it. "Come on. Let's get some sleep." Abby slid off his lap and lay on the bed. Gibbs slid under the covers with her. He spooned up next to her, draping one arm over her side. Within in a couple of minutes, both were fast asleep.

Ziva made a call into the Director and within 15 minutes they had a search warrant for Zack Plumes' home. Both McGee and Ziva had their guns drawn as they knocked on Plumes' door. After the third time of no answer, Ziva's impatience got the best of her and she kicked in the door.

The house appeared to be empty. No lights were on that they could see. Two officers that followed them in, a couple more on the way to help the search, started turning on lights so they could see. They searched though house for Plumes' but didn't find him. McGee did, however, find a locked door. Ziva picked it and they entered.

A light was already on in the small, dark room. The walls, ceiling, and hardwood floor had all been painted black. There were no windows. There were, though, pictures covering most of the walls. Most of them were of Abby. They were obviously taken from afar with a zoom lens. They were from many different places. Some were her walking to her car, in the grocery store, through the windows of her lab, and even inside her own home.

There were also multiple photos of buildings. McGee recognized a few of them as NCIS Headquarters, Abby's place, and even his own. 

"McGee, that's my apartment building!" Ziva walked over to a set of photos o the wall. "And this one is Tony's. And Gibbs!" She took a deep breath. "This is very spooky."

"This whole place is giving me the creeps." McGee stood in the middle of the room. He slowly turned to get a look at all the pictures. His eyes always caught on the same one; Gibbs' front door. "Ziva, we gotta go!"

"Go where?"

"Too see Gibbs and Abby. Something isn't sitting right with me. Maybe this is the 'gut-feeling' Gibbs is always getting."

"Oh, great! Now you, too?" As they walked towards the door to leave, McGee pulled out his cell phone. "Shouldn't we stay and help?"

"They can do this. Back-up is coming. Tony!" he said into his phone. "I need your help."

Tony's voice was rough and deep. McGee had woke him up. "Do you have any idea what time it is, McGeek?" 

"We found the guy only he's not here. You are closer to Gibbs' house than us at the moment. Could you drive over there and check on them? Ziva and I are on our way in a couple of minutes as well." They sat down inside the car, ready to go.

"On my way, Probie."


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

When Gibbs was a child, he was a heavy sleeper. Telephone ringing, vacuum cleaner running, thunder storm, it didn't matter. He would sleep through all the noise. When he joined the Marines, all that changed. They taught him to be able to sleep anywhere. It could be on a plane, on a cement floor, or even in a trench. When in war, you never know exactly where you'll end up. It also taught him to be aware of his surroundings even while he was sleeping. Now, the slightest sound out of the ordinary woke him up. He didn't really like that, but it had saved his life on a few occasions.

Including tonight.

His eyes flew open when he heard the unmistakable click on a gun. He was still curled up next to Abby the same way as when they feel asleep. Standing on Abby's side of the bed, Gibbs could see a dark figure. He moved his head up to the intruder's face. It was pretty dark in the room, so all Gibbs could make out was that he was pointing a gun at him and he had his finger up to his mouth to signal Gibbs to be quiet. Gibbs sat straight up in bed and reached for his gun. It was gone. He turned back towards the intruder who pulled Gibbs' gun out of his pocket. He showed it to him before putting it back.

"Wouldn't want you shooting me with that," said the intruder. His voice was soft, but not quiet. Gibbs looked at Abby to see if she was waking up, but she hadn't moved.

Gibbs put both his hands on her and gently shook her. "Abby? Abby, wake up."

"She won't be waking up any time soon. I chloroformed her already. I didn't want her waking up when I killed you. That wouldn't be pleasant for her and I wouldn't want her to hat me."

"She already hates you, asshole."

The intruder chuckled. "That's just because she doesn't know me, Mr. Gibbs. When I get her away from here, and she gets to know me better, she'll love me."

"Where do you plan on taking her?" Gibbs had no intention of letting this guy take Abby anywhere. He was having a hard time accepting that he let his intruder get this far without being aware of him.

"Now, why would I tell you that?"

"You're going to kill me anyway, right?"

"Don't try to mess with my head, Mr. Gibbs. I watch TV. I know what you are thinking." His soft voice was starting to sound a bit annoyed.

"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?" Gibbs had to keep this guy calm. He didn't have one gun, but two. He made it clear that he didn't plan on killing Abby, but Gibbs was also not sure about how stable this intruder was. Obviously, he wasn't too stable. Stable people didn't act like this. At least, none Gibbs knew of.

"You think I'm the bad guy and you're the good guy. The good guy gets the bad guy to talk about his plan and go into a long monologue until backup arrives. Well, backup isn't gong to arrive, so SHUT UP!" He screamed the last two words. 

Gibbs looked towards Abby, hoping that she would wake up. He hated that she was lying there, unconscious, helpless. _Maybe she's safer this way._ Gibbs hated that thought, but it was the only positive thing he could think of at the moment. "So, what's your name?"

"None-ya."

"None-ya?"

"None ya business, Mr. Gibbs."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Don't call me 'Mister'. Gibbs will be just fine."

"Get out of the bed, Gibbs," the intruder said waving the gun at him. Gibbs did as said, climbing out of the bed and standing on the side of the bed. No need in causing more problems then currently at hand.

"How are you going to do it?" Gibbs asked.

"Do what?"

"Kill me?"

"Happily."

"Damn it!" said Ziva and then cursed some more in a language McGee didn't know. "The phone just keeps ringing. Gibbs isn't answering."

"Try his cell," said McGee as he sped through town trying to get to Abby as soon as he could.

"I already did!" She didn't mean to snap at McGee, but did he really think she was that stupid? "It goes straight to his voicemail."

"At least Tony is on his way. He should get there before us. Hopefully."

The intruder pulled a roll of duct tape out of another deep pocket. "Sit in the chair," he said motioning to the desk chair in the corner. Once he was sitting, the intruder threw the duct tape at Gibbs. "Start taping yourself to the chair." Gibbs stared at the man, unmoving. "Now!" he yelled. "Feet first."

Gibbs did as much as he could by himself. The intruder moved closer to inspect. Gibbs thought he had a good opportunity to overtake his captor. When he bent down, Gibbs head butted him. This turned out to not be a good idea. When the intruder fell backwards, his finger twitched and pulled the trigger.

Tony pulled in front of Gibbs house. He saw Gibbs' car, but not McGee's or anyone else's. It didn't even look like anyone was home. All the lights were off, including the front porch light. _Yeah, this doesn't look suspicious._ Tony climbed the few steps that lead to Gibbs' front door. He looked in through the window, but it was too dark to see anything. Without knocking, he tried the door knob. It was unlocked. He quietly opened the door and stepped inside.

Gibbs leaned forward in the chair withering in pain. _Damn bastard actually shot me!_ He felt the bullet tear through his shoulder. He couldn't tell if it had gone straight through. All he could feel was a hot, searing pain and the blood pouring out through his shirt.

His intruder was curled up on the floor with his hand over his face. Gibbs could feel the bones in the guys nose break when his head come in contact with it. "Son of a bitch!" he screamed when he sat up and saw the amount of blood on his hand. He stood up and smacked Gibbs across the face with his gun. 

Gibbs was starting to feel nauseous. He didn't know if it was from his loss of blood or the amount of pain he was in. He looked over at Abby. She was still not awake. She hadn't even moved. He wished she wasn't here at all for this. That she was far away and safe. "You broke my nose, you bastard!"

"I'll do more than that to you when I get free."

"Why didn't you try earlier when you had your hands free?"

"I didn't want to get shot!" Gibbs yelled. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a shadow move out in the hallway. He was losing a lot of blood, or it looked like he was, so he wasn't sure. He couldn't think of who it would be. Tony was home letting his ribs heal. McGee and Ziva were supposed to be finding this guy. _Maybe they followed him here. Then why didn't they call?_

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Gibbs asked.

"Who was supposed to call?" 

"What?" Gibbs' head was starting to spin. He was having a hard time making sense of anything.

"You asked why someone didn't call. Not that it really matters who. I cut your phone wires and turned your cell and Abby's cell off. No one would be able to get through."

Gibbs looked up from the floor. "Why? Why Abby?"

The intruder laughed. "Why not Abby? She's beautiful, smart, sweet, and perfect. Isn't that why you love her?"

"Who the hell are you?" Gibbs could feel a cold settle in around him. He didn't think it was long before he lost consciousness. 

"Zack Plumes!" shouted someone from the doorway. Both Gibbs and Zack turned at the sound. Tony had his gun trained on Zack. Zack turned his gun on Tony and shots started firing. Gibbs turned his head away. He counted about 5 or 6 shots. When all was silent, Gibbs looked back towards the door. There was a body on the floor and someone standing over it.

"Boss, you alright?" asked Tony. He tucked his gun back into his holster and rushed over to Gibbs.

"Abby! Check on Abby!" Tony rushed over to her as fast as he could. He was having such an adrenaline rush, he didn't feel his ribs throbbing. "He chloroformed her."

Tony put his ear near Abby's mouth. "Breathing seems regular." He put his fingers on her neck. "Pulse is strong. She'll probably just have a headache when she wakes up." Tony petted the top of Abby's head. _I hope this makes up for last night, Abby._

"Tony?"

"Yeah?" he asked not looking up from Abby's sleeping face.

"Think you could untie me and call 911 before I pass out?"

Tony snapped out of his daze and looked towards Gibbs. His shirt and pants were soaked in blood. "You were shot!" He rushed to Gibbs and pulled a knife out of his belt buckle. He started cutting away at the tape.

"Yeah, I know." Once Gibbs was untied, he fell forward. Tony caught him and laid him on the floor. He pulled out his cell and dialed 911. The last thing Gibbs saw before he finally passed out was McGee and Ziva running into the room, mouths wide open.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

Gibbs didn't want to open his eyes. Even with them closed, he could see the brightness on the other side. He could tell where he was just from the smell of the room. He hated hospitals. They were one of his least favorite places. It was never quiet and the beds were more uncomfortable than his basement floor.

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the pure whiteness of the room. He looked around and was glad to see he didn't have a roommate. That always annoyed him. He always got stuck with the worst roommates.

Looking around, he also noticed he was completely alone. Usually he would not have minded, but he was wondering about Abby. He want to be sure she was alright. He figured Ducky would at least be there, ready to divulge all the information Gibbs would want to know. Plus some, probably.

Gibbs looked around for the call button. When he reached for it, he felt the pain in his shoulder from the bullet wound. Wincing, he grabbed the button. He wasn't sure how many times he pushed that damn thing, he lost count after 6. When no one came in, he carefully climbed out of bed. He was going to go find Abby himself. Pulling his IV along, he headed for the door.

"What do you think you are doing, Jethro?" Ducky came in through the door with Ziva behind him.

"I want see Abby. I have to know how she's doing." Gibbs moved more for the door. Ducky put a hand on his good shoulder to stop him.

"She is doing alright. She's been asking for you, actually, but they wouldn't let her come down here with you still unconscious. Ziva, dear, please go tell Abby and the others Jethro is finally awake." Ziva nodded her head, gave a small smile to Gibbs, and went off after Abby. "Back to your bed, now. Come on."

Gibbs walked back to the bed and climbed in. It seemed much harder and more painful to get in than out. He head was now also killing him. He reached up automatically to rub his temple and felt gauze. "What's this for?" Gibbs couldn't remember how he got an injury on his head.

"You've got a couple of stitched, but nothing serious."

"Is he dead, Ducky?"

"Who?"

"The guy! Zack Plums or whatever his name is." _Who did he think I was talking about? _He didn't think Tony had been shot last night, but he was a little preoccupied.

"Yes, he's dead. Our Tony nearly emptied his clip into the guy before he even got a shot out at him."

"Tony's okay then?"

"Well, besides my doctor being pissed at me for not resting at home, I'm feeling alright." Tony was inside the door with Ziva and McGee on his tail. "How you feeling, boss?"

"Where is Abby?" he asked, sitting up a little straighter in the uncomfortable bed. He had to see her. He had to hold her in his arms. He had to know she was alright.

"Gibbs!" she shouted from the door. She ran and jumped onto his bed, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. He involuntarily winced as a small gasp of pain escaped his throat. "Sorry," she said, but not letting up on her grip. He snaked his arms around her waist, breathing her in.

"Abbs. Abbs. I can't breath." She released him and sat on his lap. "Are you alright?"

"I have a bit of a headache, but yeah, I feel fine." Gibbs didn't think she was telling the truth. Something in her eyes was giving her away. She looked alright, so he didn't know what it was that was bothering her.

"Abbs?"

"I'm alright, really. I was just worried about you, that's all." Gibbs gently touched Abby's cheek. He was so worried about her and now it was over. Looking into her eyes, he didn't care that the rest of his team was in the room, staring at them both. He leaned in and softly kissed her lips. He was going to do it right this time.

Ziva said, "What the -," before Tony threw his hand over her mouth.

"Shhh," he whispered to her.

McGee just looked down at the floor. It was a little hard to see his boss kissing his ex-girlfriend, but he knew it was best for them. He always suspected Abby had a thing for Gibbs.

Abby opened her mouth to welcome in Gibbs' tongue. Both of them acting as though they were the only two in the room.

"Well, I think its time for us to go, people," said Ducky getting up from his front row seat to the _Gibbs and Abby Show._ "Lets give them some privacy, shall we?" Ducky ushered everyone out. Ducky shut the door behind him as he walked out.

Abby finally broke their kiss, cursing herself for needing air. She looked around the room, noticing it was empty. "Where did everyone go?"

Gibbs didn't take his eyes off of Abby. "Who cares," he said as more of a statement than a question. He took Abby's face in both of his hands and drew her closer to him.

The End.


End file.
